Apartment life: my mail

My wife any I moved into a nice apartment in a nice sleepy town 6 months ago. The very little mail we do get was redirected properly because we did the whole change of address with both the post office and DMV.

The prior resident from this apartment apparently did not because I constantly get their mail and I kick it back into the outbox. I left a note in my box before saying him and her no longer live here but it hasn't made a difference.

We went on vacation for 9 days in South America and we just got back at 2 am. When we landed we checked voicemails and my wife got concerned because the apartment manager left a message asking for a return call. When we got home we found a note on the door dated 9/4 saying in short "I accidentally had something mailed to this address and it should arrive within 2 days, please give it to the leasing office"

My gut says fuck off, get your own mailing address. I'm also expecting mail so I went to check the box. When I got there I found a note to the post office saying "On vacation- hold all mail until 9/18" and no mail in there. We never told the leasing office that we were going on vacation. We only receive small amounts of mail and never put holds on it for vacation because the box is secure.

To open the story more, I have met the former resident before when he was visiting the neighbor downstairs while her husband was at work. I thought it was unusual because she doesn't speak English and he doesn't speak Spanish lol. Since then I have noticed him hanging out in his car in the parking lot about 4 nights per week, keep in mind it's a gated lot. I have a feeling the dude is homeless and tried using my mailbox, maybe even as proof of residence. He probably left the note and kept checking for the mail with the lease office and probably saw the note still on my door, thus the note from the lease office. The only ones who knew we were going on vacation are my next door neighbors, who I suspect were asked by either the office or the former if we have been home.

So now, I am pretty irritated by homeless homie causing me to miss mail. Irritated with the leasing office for stopping my mail without my request, and irritated that I now have no idea if any of my mail (including a speedo calibrator that shipped late) is being held somewhere.

Besides buying a house, what would you guys do?

 

Contact the postal inspector. If your inspector is halfway decent you should have all of the issues resolved quickly.

 

This sucks. You should talk with the leasing office and possibly the building owner - management should not be doing anything related to your apt for someone who does not live there. (And agree with @Blueknights75 - the PO should not make any mail delivery changes based on a note stuck to the box.)

For the speedo calibrator, hopefully there is a tracking number that you can use to find out where it is.

As for buying a home, this does not solve everything. (We still get mail addressed to the former owners and we have been in the house for more than 17 years.) Even with a locking mailbox, packages do not fit and are left by the front door (unless it's Amazon's delivery service and then packages are left halfway between the door and the street).

The most secure option is to rent a PO box from a UPS store or similar. Mail is delivered and packages are held.

 

If you have someone in town you trust, can they not just pick up your mail while you're away? People are usually happy to help out for a pack of brews!

 

The speedo calibrator came from Australia, tracking doesn't work unfortunately. They shipped a few days late but it's because they did their diligence in making a plug and play model for first gens. If it works that's a big deal for us "little guys".


I'll check in with our post inspector on Monday, thanks for that tip. I need any ties between the former occupants and my mailbox cut.

If whatever he is waiting impatiently on arrives, should I return to sender like I want to for causing this bullshit, or just play nice and give it to the lease office?

 

I would consider telling the leasing office and former tenant that any mail delivered not addressed to you can be picked up at the local Police station. Sounds like very suspicious activity. I bet he will not do it again.

 

More info, after waiting all Sunday this plot is getting worse.

I checked with my leasing office, I went in on lunch break and calmly asked them a few questions. They had no idea I was on vacation. They didn't know about the hold on my mail, when I showed them the slip of paper they said that's a post office thing. I asked if the former tenant, which fuck it his name is Denzel, had come by the office. They said he had come by and begged them to open my mailbox and get his mail, they believe he had a check mailed here by mistake. They refused his request, he asked for my contact info and they refused that as well. They did offer to call me, and when they got voicemail they left a message and told him he has to wait. I firmly believe them.

I went to work and told my coworkers what went on, my boss being much smarter than me realized his angle right away. He went online and placed a holiday hold request on my mail. If he hasn't done a change of address through USPS, he definitely hasn't updated his drivers license either. If USPS is holding the mail, he can walk right in and collect it.

I went to the post office right after work, they agreed that the slip was from them but couldn't provide record of who placed the hold or if any mail had been picked up. They checked if I had mail or packages on hold, nothing present. That tells me this son of a bitch collected it already, no way in hell I haven't recieved mail in a week.

I went online and filed a report with the postal inspector service. The lady at USPS was pretty useless but she took my info to give to the postmaster on site, who was too busy to see me. Hoping to hear back from them. I really want to file a police report or something on this pile of shit. Hoping I don't see him loitering in the parking lot. In no way can I see it right that his dumbass mailed something to my house and felt justified in stopping my mail and stealing it.

If anyone has any suggestions let me know.

 

That is crazy! Do you have a UPS store or P.O. boxes near your house? You could file a change of address with the P.O. and have all mail and packages delivered to the P.O. box. Will cost a little bit but until you are 100% sure this idjit is not around to steal your mail again it might be worth it.

 

call the US Postal inspectors or file report online. They called me back few days after to inquire. I did not even go to the post office.

https://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/contactUs/filecomplaint.aspx

 

I do believe that theft of mail is a federal crime. And a felony.

 

It is, not sure the extent of punishment but if this idiot ends up in jail it's his own doing. I wouldn't feel bad at all, and he wouldn't do well in there.